BNSF Committee May 2026 News
From the PORA BNSF Committee – PORAs leadership in keeping community informed
May, 2026
BNSF Railroad is proposing an intermodal rail facility, logistics park, and logistics center on more than 4,000 acres near Wittmann, Arizona, just 15 minutes from Sun City West. This is not a minor project. It is a massive industrial development that could permanently change the character of nearby communities and place significant new pressure on roads, infrastructure, and quality of life in the West Valley.
At the June 16, 2025 PORA General Membership meeting, PORA took action by forming a five-person committee (BNSF sub-committee) to gather facts, answer questions, and help residents understand what is at stake with the proposed BNSF facility near Wittmann. PORA also adopted an opposition letter, giving residents a direct way to make their voices heard through signatures collected at public events, PORA office and online at porascw.org.
Since then, PORA’s sub-committee has worked steadily to inform and mobilize the community through handouts, newsletters, the PORA website, and public events. Volunteers have devoted countless hours to distributing information, answering questions, and collecting signed opposition letters for presentation to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. These efforts reflect the depth of concern across our community, with thousands of letters submitted in opposition.
In 2025, the PORA Board met with District 4 Supervisor Debbie Lesko to formally express concern about the project and present a resolution.
Later, the PORA BNSF Committee and Board met directly with BNSF representatives and made PORA’s position unmistakably clear: this facility does not belong at the proposed location.
On November 5, 2025, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted against the White Tank Grand Avenue comprehensive plan amendment. While important, that vote did not end the matter.
BNSF has also raised the issue of federal preemption as a method to override local and county regulations, at present, the only application from BNSF to Maricopa County is a zoning change request for the remaining 4000 acres. PORA continues to monitor Planning and Zoning and Board of Supervisors activity closely because residents deserve transparency and accountability at every stage of this process.
In May 2026, Supervisor Lesko asked the Surface Transportation Board for clarification on BNSF’s claim of preemption. The response from the STB indicated that preemption for an intermodal facility in Wittmann would have to be obtained through a declaratory order proceeding. To our knowledge, BNSF has not yet requested that determination. In PORA’s view, that means significant legal and regulatory questions remain unresolved.
BNSF has begun work on about 350 acres of the 4,321-acre site, describing it as a scaled-down facility intended to relieve capacity issues at Glendale. According to county planning information, a permit has been issued for stormwater discharge tied to this construction through Ames Construction. Based on BNSF’s own estimates, even this smaller phase will add roughly 1,200 to 1,500 truck trips per day to the already strained Highway 60/303 corridor, potentially beginning as early as winter 2026. For PORA and many residents, that raises serious concerns about congestion, safety, air quality, and the long-term impact on nearby communities.
This project is not a done deal, and PORA remains firmly opposed to this location. Our concerns are not about rail or responsible economic development in general. Our concern is that a project of this size and intensity should not be forced into an area where it threatens surrounding communities and major transportation corridors already under strain. PORA believes West Valley residents deserve a meaningful voice and that developments of this magnitude belong in areas already planned and zoned for heavy industrial use.
For these reasons cited, PORA has reached out to the respective Chambers of Commerce and the NW Alliance asking them to reconsider their stance on supporting this project at the Wittmann location.
What can the public do? Stay informed by reviewing the Community Concerns document at PORA or online at porascw.org, and take the next step by writing Supervisor Debbie Lesko, the Board of Supervisors, and your state legislators. Public involvement matters, and continued community action will be critical in the decisions ahead.
Attached contact information referenced above.
Pamela Schwartz-Hall says:
I had the pleasure of attending meetings concerning the White Tanks Grand Avenue expansion plan and, at the time, the plans looked encouraging and included an area of SURPRISE that needed to be better served with transportation and accessibility options. No “firm” plans had been made at that time and the information shared did not include ANYTHING about a BNSF intermodal facility. That was about four years ago. More information to the attendees was promised, but I received none. Then the controversy over the BNSF facility surfaced. I AM FIRMLY OPPOSED. I understand the need for such a facility, but NOT at the expense of homebuyers in the Northwest Valley who purchased their homes thinking that they were going to live in the quiet suburbs of Phoenix near the “small” towns of Wittman or Wickenburg which, apparently, aren’t going to remain small any more. And their home values, because of these plans, will not rise as they should. These homebuyers, along with a lot of the rest of us, were ambushed. Compromise, if not a full solution, MUST be found.
Linda O. says:
Today, I was heading east on R.H. Johnson Blvd from Grand Ave. and was held up due to a train. What was scary was that a firetruck was on the other side of the tracks heading toward Grand Ave. with its lights on and was held up, as well, within the congested lines of cars waiting for the train. If more trains on these tracks is the outcome of the BNSF Intermodal, I see this as a serious issue for Sun City West residents.